Ep 1282 | Autism Isn’t a Superpower — or a Death Sentence: A Story of Tough Love | Leland Vittert

Dec 29, 2025
48 mins

Episode Description

Leland Vittert, American journalist and anchor for NewsNation, joins Allie to discuss his book "Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism." Through the interview, Leland discusses his secret diagnoses with autism as a child while his parents rejected accommodations and taught him to conquer adversity head-on. From relentless bullying throughout school to Middle East war zones and network news, Leland credits his dad’s “adapt to the world” philosophy for his success. Heart-wrenching, hope-filled stories prove that hardship forges character, tough parental love yields resilient adults, and God redeems every struggle.


Buy Leland's book "Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism" here: ⁠https://a.co/d/f0dba1y


Buy Allie's book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.toxicempathy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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Timecodes:


(00:00) Intro

(02:50) Nicknamed "Lucky"

(08:30) Growing Up with Differences

(13:45) Hands Off Approach Parenting

(19:50) What Makes a Great Teacher

(24:50) Journalism Career

(29:40) Working in the Middle East

(36:40) Learning Through Adversity

(42:30) Current State of Journalism


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Buy Allie's book "You're Not Enough (and That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.alliebethstuckey.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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